Stora Enso’s planting season is in full speed: more than 41 million tree seedlings will be planted in 2020
In 2020, more than 41 million tree seedlings will be planted in the forests of Finland, Sweden and Russia by Stora Enso. In the southern parts of the countries, the planting season started as early as April. In May, tree planting will be in full speed even further north.
In northern forests, the planting season lasts about 150 days, which means an average of more than 270,000 tree seedlings per day will be planted by Stora Enso this summer. In Finland, about 80 percent of the seedlings are spruce. Most pines are regenerated by sowing or natural regeneration, some birch is also planted. In Sweden, forest is regenerated mainly by seedlings, half of which are spruce and half pine.
– The journey of each of our product innovations starts in the forest, whether it is food packaging, paper, wood products or even textile fibers. Most of the production at Stora Enso’s mills is based on the wood supplied from the northern forests. Sustainable forest management ensures that a new generation of trees replace the harvested ones. We ensure that forests are productive and healthy also in the future, says Jari Suominen, EVP, Forest Division, Stora Enso.
In Finland, approximately 150 million tree seedlings are planted in the state forests and private forest owners’ forests every year. In Sweden the number is even higher – more than 380 million seedlings. Some private forest owners prefer to plant the seedlings themselves, but there is a growing demand for silvicultural services carried out by forestry professionals.
In Sweden, Stora Enso owns approximately 1.4 million hectares of forest. Seedlings for regeneration sites are delivered from Stora Enso’s own nurseries in central Sweden. Stora Enso Plantor follow the Swedish forest breeding program, seeking better volume growth, stem straightness, vigor, resistance and higher survival. Furthermore, the focus is on e.g. right branch angels and branch wideness to secure future timber quality.
– Stora Enso Plantor is the third biggest producer of forest seedlings in Sweden. We are able to produce the best breeds in our own forest seed orchards. Our three nurseries work as one unit with orders and deliveries, setting the standards for different characteristics, for example root volume and height, says Yvonne Hedman Nordlander, Cultivation and processing specialist, Stora Enso Plantor.
In Stora Enso’s long term harvesting right areas in Russia, 1,2 million seedlings will be planted: In Carelia, 945,000 and in Novgorod 257,000. “We use mostly seedlings with open root system”, says Jaakko Rajamäki, Director, Forest operations, Wood Supply Russia.
Growing trees in sustainably managed forests absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and together with wood-based products act as carbon storage. In 2019, Stora Enso invested 72 million euros in forest growth.
Sustainable forest and plantation management is essential for Stora Enso in securing long-term availability of wood – our most important renewable raw material.
Stora Enso owns forest lands in Sweden, and has biological assets also in Finland, Brazil, Uruguay, China and Laos through subsidiaries, joint operations and indirectly through equity accounted investments. These biological assets are used as raw material in pulp and mechanical wood production and as biofuels.
Today, Stora Enso is one of the largest private forest owners in the world with forest assets valued at more than EUR 4.9 billion (land and biological assets) in its balance sheet the highest value being of biological assets of EUR 3.9 billion in Northern Europe. Globally, Stora Enso owns or manages lands covering a total area of 2.35 million hectares. About 30% of the Group’s wood raw material needs are covered from own sources or long term supply agreements globally.
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